Tumbledown Farm .9 Acres (give or take an acre or two)

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Finally the day has arrived to plant the first real seeds of 2012. I planted several 6" pots with herb disks a couple of weeks ago (see previous blog entries), but that was experimental, just to test how quickly they germinate and fill a pot (and to get some herbs up on the kitchen window sill during late winter and early spring). This is different! This is for real! Today I planted 36 two-inch square cells with asparagus (Jersey Knight F1), which I plan to plant out into 2 eight-foot beds in early- to mid-May. (12-14 weeks from now ... see the planting calendar for Zone 6a.)

Why do I say for real? Planting asparagus is a little akin to planting a tree. If all goes well, this stand of asparagus will still be producing in 2027! Only a few other plants that I put in the ground this year will have that kind of staying power.

I sowed the seeds 3/4" deep. (It is a little hard to be "precise" even in such a controlled environment, so let's say 1/4" - 1.5", give or take a quarter inch or so.) I also do not have prime seed starting mix or sphagnum to layer on top, or a heating source (to keep things at 75-80 degrees constantly), so I expect some loss from failure to germinate and "damping off" and the like. Stay tuned for updates, especially as I get ready to plant the sprouts that survive in the ground outside.